Matt Lauer apologises after sexual assault allegations

Matt Lauer, a familiar face in morning news as the anchor of “Today” for two decades, was fired by NBC News on Wednesday after a female colleague made a detailed complaint accusing him of inappropriate sexual behavior during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The accusation also noted that the alleged behavior continued in the workplace after the games, NBC News confirmed.

Later on Wednesday, The New York Times reported that two more women had made complaints about Lauer after he was fired. An unidentified former employee told The Times that Lauer sexually assaulted her in his office in 2001. NBC officials confirmed that two more accusers had come forward on Wednesday. And Variety published a more sweeping account of Lauer’s sexual misconduct with at least three women over several years.

In a memo to employees sent Wednesday morning, NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said the complaint prompted a serious review and represented a “clear violation of our company’s standards.”

“Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender,” Lack said.

Longtime “Today” anchor Matt Lauer broke his silence Thursday in a statement read on the show, saying he was “truly sorry” after a detailed complaint of sexual misconduct led to his firing.

Lauer said that not all of the allegations that have followed are correct, but he admitted that “there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.” “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie read the statement.

“There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry. As I am writing this I realize the depth of the damage and disappointment I have left behind at home and at NBC,” wrote Lauer, a married father of three.

“Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly.

“Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul searching and I’m committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full time job,” he added. “The last two days have forced me to take a very hard look at my own troubling flaws. It’s been humbling. I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love. I thank them for their patience and grace.”

That’s unusually direct and seems to take responsibility and sounds properly apologetic, but it’s unlikely to be the end of Lauer’s problems, after already being dumped from a very highly paid career with limited prospects of another similar job.

Maureen is

David

I dont think he will struggle he was one of the highest paid TV stars, another bloody pervy liberal Conyers, Franken, Spacey, Weinstein, Clinton etc etc all virtue signalling lefties its just nauseating.

MaureenW

Not quite …
“I meant to pat her back after she told me about her unhappiness, and her shirt was open and my hand went up it about six inches. She recoiled. I apologized,” Keillor told the newspaper in an email. “I sent her an email of apology later, and she replied that she had forgiven me and not to think about it.

Kitty Catkin

Yes, I read that in the Herald. But whether that was enough to make someone lose their job is dubious. I took it to mean that his hand was on her back and went inside the shirt there. If she said that he wasn’t to think about it, she should have left it at that.

Things like that make women look feeble, If a woman did that to a man, he would be unlikely to make such a fuss that the woman lost her job, I imagine.